The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent for hepatitis such as acute or chronic viral hepatitis, acute or chronic alcoholic hepatitis, acute or chronic drug-induced hepatitis, or fulminant hepatitis.
Hepatitis is caused by hepatitis viruses of A, B or C type, or by the intake of a large amount of a drug or by the long term intake of a drug. It is known that, in patients suffering from hepatitis, the liver function is seriously lowered by the lowering of the function of liver mitochondria or by the necrosis of liver cells. Particularly in cases of acute hepatitis or fulminant hepatitis, plasma transaminase is distinctively increased by the necrosis of liver cells in a wide range.
For the treatment of such liver disorders, interferon therapy as a kind of antiviral therapies is employed. However, no direct effect of interferon can be recognized on the improvement of the function of mitochondria or on the regeneration of the liver. Further, it is said that although glutathione, Tathion injection (Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) and Neo-Minophagen C, Strong (Minophagen Co. Ltd) generally used for the treatment of hepatitis are effective in improving the plasma transaminase value, their effects in improving the function of liver mitochondria and in regenerating the liver are yet poor. In addition, because those drugs are in the form of injections, it is expected to have the development of a drug which can be orally administered.
Various therapeutic agents for hepatitis have been developed under these circumstances. For example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Published Application (hereinafter referred to as “J. P. KOKAI”) No. Sho 63-54320 discloses that alanine and glutamine have an antialcoholismic effect; J. P. KOKAI No. Hei 5-213746 discloses that alanine has the antialcoholismic effect; J. P. KOKAI No. Hei 5-221858 discloses a therapeutic agent for hepatitis, characterized by containing at least one of alanine, glutamine and ornithine; and J. P. KOKAI No. Hei 5-229940 discloses that alanine and/or glutamine accelerates the liver regeneration. J. P. KOKAI No. Sho 62-164619 discloses that a combination of predetermined amounts of cysteine and/or cysteine dimer with alanine, aspartic acid or glycine exhibits an effect of improving the substance synthesis function of the liver; J. P. KOKAI No. Hei 6-183962 discloses that at least one of glycine, serine and alanine prevents an injury of kidneys, liver, spleen, intestines, pancreas and other parenchymatous organs and the skin caused by the anoxia; and WO 96/25861 discloses that at least one of glycine, serine and alanine has an effect of lowering TNF level and is effective in preventing and treating alcohol-induced hepatopathy and also disorder in the intestines and pancreas.
On the other hand, the inventors reported that the oral administration of glycine or alanine alone inhibits a hepatopathy caused by the intraabdominal administration of galactosamine [The 85th Congress of Japanese Society of Gastroenterology (1999)]. Further, it was recently reported that the effect of glycine for controlling the hepatopathy caused by galactosamine would be mainly obtained by the control of TNF α secretion from Kupffer cells [Hepatology (1999) 29: 737–745].